This invention relates to electrostatographic copying machines, and, in particular, to such a machine including a powered staple remover for removing and retaining staples from a staple set of document sheets.
Copying or reproduction machines include but are not limited to electrostatographic process machines. Generally, however, the process of electrostatographic copying or reproduction machines, such as light lens or scanner type machines, includes uniformly charging an image frame of a moving photoconductive member, or photoreceptor, to a substantially uniform potential, and imagewise discharging it or imagewise exposing it to light reflected from an original image being copied or reproduced. The result is an electrostatically formed latent image on the image frame of the photoconductive member. For multiple original images, several such frames are similarly imaged. The latent image so formed on each frame is developed by bringing a charged developer material into contact therewith. Two-component and singlecomponent developer materials are commonly used. A typical two-component developer material comprises magnetic carrier particles, also known as xe2x80x9ccarrier beads,xe2x80x9d having fusable charged toner particles adhering triboelectrically thereto. A single component developer material typically comprises charged toner particles only.
In either case, the fusable charged toner particles when brought into contact with each latent image, are attracted to such image, thus forming a toner image on the photoconductive member. The toner image is subsequently transferred at a transfer station to an image receiver or copy sheet. The copy sheet is then passed through a fuser apparatus where the toner image is heated and permanently fused to the copy sheet forming a hard copy of the original image.
Original documents to be copied one by one at such a copying machine frequently come in the form of a stapled set, fastened together at least in one spot, by a staple. As is well known, the fastening staple has a crown portion and leg portions that pierce through the set of document sheets from a first side, and are then clinched or bent against the second or opposite side of the set of document sheets. A copying machine operator usually has to remove the staple or staples from the set of document sheets before copying each such document sheet, usually one by one.
For removing such staples, hand held staple removers of the type disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,945, usually are used. Typically, an area of the top panel of the copying machine, occasionally including a shallow dip or surface recess, is used as a working surface for removing such staples using the hand-held staple remover. Ordinarily, there is a problem with removed and loose staples when they are carelessly left in this area on the machine, even in the shallow surface recess. Such loose staples can cause even more problems if they drop into the machine operating area.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,220 attempts to solve the above problems have included, for example, a passive fixed position finger that has a sharp tip projecting over a tray in a recess, as well as, projecting upwardly above the surrounding surface for removing staples from stapled sets. Such upward projection of the sharp tip of the finger is obviously not very safe. To remove a staple using the finger, an operator must manually position, and then push a stapled set of sheets over the tip of the finger so that the sharp tip engages and horizontally prys the staple from the set. The finger tip is towards its end in order to cause the staple, if properly engaged, to be pried free or removed from the stapled set.
Unfortunately, however, this finger staple remover will tend to leave the removed staple still clinging onto the finger, as is commonly the experience with hand-held staple removers of the sort. This finger also utilizes unopposed horizontal shearing forces for prying the staple. The shearing forces understandably will tend to cause the staple to rip or tear the sheets, particularly since the force to be provided is by the push of an operator with no guidance.
In accordance with the present invention, there is provided a powered staple remover associated with a frame of a reproduction machine for effectively and safely removing clinched staples from a stapled set of document sheets. The powered staple remover includes an elongate member for holding between a thumb and fingers of a user""s hand. The elongate member has walls defining a cavity, a first end, a second end, and an opening into the cavity through the second end. The powered staple remover also includes first and second staple crown grippers mounted within the cavity towards the second end, at least one gripper of the first and second staple crown grippers is moveable towards the other. The powered staple remover further includes a powered device connected to the at least one gripper for moving the at least one gripper from an open to a closed position, and from and towards the second end, thereby effortlessly and effectively removing a clinched staple from a stapled set of sheets without damage to the set of sheets. The powered staple remover includes an attaching device for attaching the elongate member to an electrostatographic reproduction machine.